Dog Gone Laws

Animals are at the core of many, many farm operations, but even the grain farmer is likely to have a few animals or a farm dog around, and most anyone who farms is bound to encounter wild animals that impact the operation.  The rules that affect animals cover a swath of farm life as varied as the animals themselves and the activities that involve them.

A dog owner is liable for the action of his dog. Don’t post “Beware of Dog” signs; you are responsible regardless of what sign you post.  Your best advice is to control your animals. Every dog must have a rabies vaccination.  Any dog (or cat or other animal) which has bitten or attacked a person must be reported.  If rabies is suspected, animal-control officials can order the owner to confine the animal or it can be impounded by animal-control officials, who can hold the dog for ten (10) days and may then humanely destroy it.  If the dog is returned to its owner, the owner must pay fees for impoundment.

Note:  If you confine a non-livestock animal for suspected rabies (or any other reason), be aware that the Iowa Code makes it unlawful to “to fail to supply the animal during confinement with a sufficient quantity of food or water, or to fail to provide a confined animal with adequate shelter, or to torture, deprive of necessary sustenance, mutilate, beat, or kill such animal by any means which causes unjustified pain, distress or suffering.”

It is illegal to abandon your dog. Dogs under six months of age, and all other dogs that are wearing a collar with attached tags showing a valid rabies vaccination, along with the name and address of the animal’s owner, are presumed to be someone’s property.  If these dogs are impounded, you must claim them, prove that they are current on vaccinations, and pay impoundment fees within seven days, or your dog could be destroyed. Dogs not provided with a rabies vaccination tag are not presumed to be anyone’s property. If a dog over six months of age is running loose and not wearing a valid rabies vaccination tag, it can be terminated by law enforcement.

Liability for Damages Caused by a Dog

The owner of a dog is liable to an injured party for all damages done by the dog  when the dog is caught in the action of worrying, maiming, or killing a domestic animal; or the dog is attacking or attempting to bite a person, except when the person damaged is doing an unlawful act, directly contributing to the injury. You could also be held liable for damages to other property caused by your dog, if you allow it to run loose in violation of the law. 

For example, if your neighbor complains about your loose dog, but you do nothing to restrain it, and it goes over again and digs up her newly-planted (and costly) rose bed and shrubs, you may have to pay to replace the plantings.

About Us

Dillon Law focuses on providing quick response to client's needs with staff who understand the agricultural climate in which we live. This firm is a general practice firm, including but not limited to Agricultural Law, Criminal Law, Debt Collection, Wills/ Probate and Estate Planning, Tax Preparation, Real Estate, Bankruptcy.

Patrick B. Dillon

pat dillon

PATRICK B. DILLON

Patrick B. Dillon enjoys finding solutions to legal issues and catching problems for clients. Pat practices in the Sumner office regularly represents clients in district, associate district and magistrate courts for agricultural, real estate, criminal and collection issues. He drafts wills and trusts, creates estate plans and helps clients through the probate process.

Jill Dillon

Jill Dillon profile 3 2024

JILL DILLON

Jill is a University of Northern Iowa undergraduate (Political Science Cum Laude) and a Drake University Law School graduate. Jill is a firm owner but not currently accepting private pay clients. Jill still has ties to her family farm operation which includes a dairy herd.

Tori Beyer

Tori Beyer - profile 2024

TORI BEYER

Tori is a University of Iowa undergraduate where she double majored in Criminology, Justice, and Law and Ethics and Public Policy and a North Dakota Law School graduate. Tori practices in the Sumner office. Tori's areas of practice include but are not limited to estate planning, wills/probate, criminal defense, and civil litigation.

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